Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-05-05
ACOLORADO SNOWSLIDE.
AS Compared with an Avalanche i'm Switzer-
IdllU.
st, Louis G., be-DemOcrs t.


Fl st. Louis Gil, be-Democ-s
One can pick up almost any book of
travel and find in it description of an
avalanche in Switzerland, but 1 have new
er seen any satisfactory attempt to
picture the terrible grandeur Of Colora-
do snowslide. The two are the same
thing, but the snowslide is more awful
and destructive than the avalanche. It
has better chance to show what it can
do, by reason of the number of miles
which are worked in the pathway Of the
slides, and the carelessness of the miners
IN exposing themselves to danger and
dlsregarding the warning signs the sky
and the snow always give before the
slides begin. The most fearful slides &C.
cur during the Winter, after a succession
of bright, warm days. The FOUNTAINS
are heavily loaded with snow, which
has fallen in layers and frozen until it
lies solidly in mass from five to twenty
five feet deep all over the range, and in
canyons and gulches fifty feet sometimes.
The sun melts these layers, they lose their
hola on those below and start down the
mountain, often with Il 900 feet to travel
before they reach the bottom. AS they
go down other layers Of snow become de-
tsched and the slide increases in weight
and velocity as it falls. A slide seen from
distance is only white cloud, but it is
cloud weighing hundreds of tons. Trees
are bent and snapped in pieces, huge
rocks are uprooted and carried along, and
house in the way Of slide Is buried
and carried away like a leaf. Nothing
but mountain will stop a slide before it
hurls itself against the level ground and
loses its momentum. This winter the
death list in consequence of snow-slides
was light in Colorado. [ believe the
miners are learning to be cautious. The
most destructive slide [ remember was
one that came down upon the Sheridan
and Mandota mines near the top of the
range that rises above Ouray. 1t carried
away the kitchen and clubhouse of the
men and covered fifteen miners. Some
who escaped came down to Ouray on
snow-shoes over a perilous trail, running
nearly all the way along precipices and
Overhung with cliffs bearing trembling
masses of snow threatening other slides.
They begged US for help to dig out their
imprisoned comrades. We sent party
up on snow shoes Immediately; eight of
the nerviest men in the camp. They got
up to the mines safely and dug out the
bodies and the two live men. Then they
put seven of the dead men onto sleds, and
with the rescued men started back to
Ouray, a party of fifteen. They were
half way down when another slide came
down on the trail and swept away .sleds,
corpses and rescuers. There was space
fifty feet wide from the trail to the brink
of the canyon, over eighty feet deep.
Some of the men were released by the
snow before they were carried to the edge
of The gulf, but most of them, with all the
sled bearers, went over and down upon
the deep snow at the bottom. Not one of
that party was killed, although they were
some what bruise,d and they all, singly or
In small parties, made their way back to
Ouyay within the next three days. The
corpses lay embalmed in the snow until
spring, when the thrawing of the snow
made them visible. They were then
brought down to Ouray and buried.